Vehicle-to-vehicle communication and vehicle-to-infrastructure communication (also called C2X or vehicle-to-X communication) by means of dedicated short range communication (DSRC), for example by means of WLAN 802.11p, or by means of cellular radio, for example by means of GPRS, UMTS, LTE, is used to transmit messages between adjacent vehicles or an infrastructure and a vehicle. For the purpose of authentication, it is possible to use certificates, e.g. certificates with a time limit.
In communication network technology, the Token Ring method is known, said method being stipulated in the specification IEEE 802.5. In the case of vehicle-to-X communication, there are multiple aims from the point of view of security engineering. By way of example, these are preserving the anonymity of the transmitter (the transmitter should not be able to be tracked), authenticating a transmitter (a transmitter can prove that it is trustworthy), and protecting against information falsification or information manipulation.